Chapter 6

Lydia’s POV

Lydia, this is Vanessa," Julian announced, his voice smooth and entirely cold as his hand tightened on her waist. "My girlfriend."

My jaw locked, the room tilting violently. Vanessa.

I didn't need an explanation; I had seen the old framed photographs hidden in the bottom drawer of his office desk.

She was the college ex-girlfriend he had spent years obsessing over the one he truly wanted before my father forced our merger. Seeing her standing here, wrapped in old-money cream wool, shattered the very last anchor of my hope.

The pathetic delusion of a happy ending, the fairy-tale life I had bled four years to protect, died instantly.

"Get your things out of the master suite," Julian ordered again, his tone clipping the air as he stepped toward me. "Now."

"No," I whispered, digging my heels into the hardwood. "This is my home, Julian. I am your wife."

"Not anymore."

Julian lunged forward, his fingers clamping like iron bands around my bicep. He violently dragged me backward toward the grand staircase. I twisted, scratching at his forearms, my heels skidding against the polished marble, but he ignored my resistance entirely, throwing open the master bedroom door and shoving me inside toward the walk-in closet.

“Pack. Or I throw it all over the banister."

Ten minutes later, I slammed the guest room door behind me, clutching a hastily stuffed duffel bag.

But there was no peace.

Before I could even lock the door, the walls began to vibrate. From the master bedroom down the hall, the violent, rhythmic groaning of the mattress shattered the silence. Vanessa’s high, breathless moans echoed sharply through the vents, amplified by Julian’s low, triumphant grunts.

They didn't care. They were marking their territory, letting their shameless noise flood every single corner of the house.

A dark, toxic heat consumed my blood. I dropped the duffel bag, marched down the back stairs, and snatched the keys to his sports car again.

The engine roared, a feral scream in the midnight downpour as I tore out of the garage, leaving the house behind.

The iron gates of the cliffside fortress rolled open. I didn't knock; I slammed my weight against the glass front doors, marching straight into the dimly lit living room.

Zane, Kian, and Cassian were waiting, sitting around the low marble table with crystal glasses of scotch. They rose in unison the moment they saw my drenched, wild appearance.

"Lydia” Kian started, but I cut him off.

I lunged straight into Zane’s chest, aggressively gripping his shirt collar, pulling him down to my level. "Fuck me," I rasped, my voice cracking with pure venom. "Fucking take me until I run mad. I don't want gentleness. I want to forget everything."

Cassian’s eyes flared with a lethal, possessive hunger as his hands locked onto my waist, ripping the wet velvet dress off my shoulders.

Zane hoisted me into his lap, his lips slamming onto mine with a brutal force that tasted like rain and raw dominance.

"What do you want from us, sweetheart?" Kian growled against my neck, his steel fingers pinning my wrists down as the friction turned blindingly hot, driving the noise of Julian’s house out of my skull.

"One thing," I gasped, arching violently into the heat of all three of them, my fingernails drawing blood on Zane's shoulders as they took turns ruining me with a fast, merciless intensity.

“Withdraw the contract. Cancel the deal with Julian. Help me destroy him. I want him ruined!"

Zane’s dark pupils blew out as he drove deeper, a fierce, satisfied growl ripping from his throat. "Consider it done."

The next morning, the black sports car and a fleet of three luxury SUVs pulled into Julian’s driveway.

I stood just outside the open front door of the mansion, the morning breeze whipping through my hair. Inside, the heavy thud of footsteps signaled Julian rushing down the stairs to greet his multi-billionaire saviors.

"Zane! Kian! Cassian! Welcome, please come in," Julian’s voice boomed through the foyer, sycophantic and frantic. “

I have the legal documents signed and ready on the table."

"Keep them," Zane’s cold baritone cut through the air, stopping Julian dead in his tracks.

From my spot outside the door, I leaned closer, listening intently to the sudden, suffocating silence.

"What... what do you mean?" Julian stammered, his voice instantly cracking with panic. "Is there an issue with the terms? We can adjust them”

"There is no negotiation, Miller," Kian murmured lazily, his voice dripping with absolute ruthlessness. "We are pulling out. The contract is canceled."

"Why?!" Julian yelled, his footsteps shuffling erratically against the marble. "You can't do this! My company will go under by midnight! Why are you doing this to me?"

I took a deep breath, stepped into the doorway, and marched into the grand foyer.

The heels of my stilettos clicked sharply against the marble like a death knell. I was wearing an impeccably tailored, vibrant boss-red suit, my hair styled perfectly, my chin held high.

Julian’s head snapped toward me, his eyes widening in absolute shock as he looked from my red suit to the three billionaires who were now standing firmly behind my shoulders like a protective wall.

I offered my husband a cold, venomous smile.”Because I deserve to be standing exactly where you are, Julian."